Lettering-brush.



C. W. GROBE.

LETTERING BRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY L3. 1911.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

frzvenor' 454% w 4%.

1i ttarn ey CHARLES W. GROBE, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

LETTERING-BRUSH.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1%, 1918.

Application filed July 18, 1917. Serial No. 180,318.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. GRoBE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lettering-Brushes, of which the following is a specification.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and thereference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

The invention relates to a lettering-brush having a body of flexible fibrous brush-material which flattens or spreads in use so as to make a line or stroke of considerable width.

The principal object of the invention is to cause the ink-distributing end-edge portion of the brush to automatically maintain a position substantially at right angles to the direction of its progressive movement in forming curves.

Other objects will appear in connection with the following description.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in front elevation of a lettering-brush embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the same taken on the broken line 22 in Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same taken on the broken line 33 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a letteringbrush embodying my invention having a circular or cylindrical body of fibrous brushmaterial.

Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating the manner in which said body of fibrous brushmaterial spreads 0r flattens in use so as to produce a line or stroke of considerable width.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings wherein the invention is shown in preferred form, 1 is the brush-head, carrying a body ofkhair or bristles, 2, for distributing the m In this form of my invention, both the brush-head and the body, 2, of brush-material are made fiat.

The head is made hollow as shown, with an inlet aperture, at 3, whereby a supply of ink can be inserted within the head, which ink flows out through the hair as the brush is moved over the surface to be lettered.

The brush-head, 1, is fixed upon a spindle,

4, which spindle is rotatively mounted within a bushing, 5, inserted within an aperture in the handle, 6.

A coil-spring, 7 is interposed between the inner end of the bushing, 5, and a head, 8. on the inner end of the spindle, 4, said sprmg tending to draw the brush-head against the outer end of the bushing, 5, with sufficient force to prevent the brush-head from rotating upon the handle by gravity alone, yet leaving the brush-head free to respond to the rotative influence due to its frictional engagement with a surface over which the brush is being moved As thus constructed, when the brush is moved in a curved line along the surface to be lettered, it is necessary only for the user to draw the handle of the brush along the desired curved path While holding the handle substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the brush rests, and the frictional engagement of the brush with the surface over which the brush is traveling will cause the brush-head and fiat brush to automatically adjust themselves to maintain the ink-distributing end-edge of the brush at right angles to the direction of movement, causing the ink-distributing portion of the brush to make a line of substantially uniform width in traversing such curved lines.

It is thus unnecessary forthe user to rotate the handle of the brush in order to cause the brush-head to gradually change direction in traversing a curved path, whichis a dificult operation and requires much skill.

By having the brush swiveled and selfadjustable upon the handle in this respect, persons with little or no experience are able to produce satisfactory lettering.

1' have shown a slide-pin, 9, mounted to slide longitudinally in a slideway, 10, on the handle, which slide-pin is engageable with an aperture, 11, to lock the brush-head against rotative movement when desired.

When it is desired to operate. the brush in the manner above described in making curved lines, this slide-pin, 9, is withdrawn from the aperture, 11, leaving the brushhead free to rotate upon the handle.

For the purpose of producing shaded letters of a plurality of colors, I rovide the brush-head with a plurality of 1nk-feeding devices, as by extending through the head a Y supply-tube, 12, leading to a part only of the bristle or hair, which supply-tube can carry a supply of ink of a difi'erent color from y that within the main ink-reservoir formed within the hollow brush-head.

The operation of the device is as follc ws:

For plain lettering by straight lines, the slide-pin, 9, is slid into the aperture, 11, and the brush used as any ordlnary paint brush or lettering-brush is used.

When it is desired to make curved lines, the slide-pin, 9, is withdrawn from the aperture, 11, and the brush is drawn by the hand of the operator along thesurface to be lettered, the operator drawing the handle of the brush along the desired curved path with the body of hair or bristles in contact with the surface to be lettered.

In this operation the handle is held substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the brush rests, with the body of hair trailing flatly upon said surface. This causes the brush-head to automatically rotate upon the handle so as to maintain its ink-distributing end-edge approximately at right angles to its progressive movement, and hence to make a line of substantially full width throughout its progressive movement.

The body of hair or bristles preferably projects from the brush-head in a plane oblique to the plane of the handle; and I also prefer to have the brush-head itself mounted upon its spindle, 4, in a plane somewhat oblique to said spindle and the handle.

For the purpose of controlling the flow of ink through the supply-tube, 12, a valvescrew, 13, may be employed, inserted within a screw-threaded aperture intersecting the tube.

In Figs. 4 and 5, I have shown my invention applied to a brush having a substantially cylindrical body of flexible fibrous brush-material such as hair or bristles, which body is adapted to spread and flatten-in use as shown in Fig. 5, whereby it is adapted to form a stroke or line of considerable width, which line, as the brush traverses a curved path, will vary greatly in width unless the flattened body of brush material is kept at substantially right angles to the line of progressive movement of the brush.

The brush when thus flattened in use is open to thesame objections as the flat brush heretofore described; and I am able to overcome these objections substantially in the same manner above described.

I thus mount the cylindrical brush-head,

14, upon a spindle, 15, which spindle is rotatively mounted Within the handle, 16, in substantially the same manner as above described with respect to the spindle, 4, in the handle, 6.

B holding the handle substantially perpen ieular to the surface over which the brush travels, and by flattening the brushbody upon sald surface, the brush-body will be caused to trail after the handle, and this will cause the brush-head to automatically rotate upon the handle so that the flattened ink-distributing end-edge of the trailing brush-body Will maintain a position approximately at right angles to its progressive movement, and hence will make aline or stroke of substantially full width throughout its progressive movement whether that movement be in a straight line or a curved line.

The same handle may be adapted for use paintbrushmaterial mounted on the brushhead.

2. A device of the class described having a handle; a brush-head freely mounted upon the handle upon an axis extending longitudinally of the handle; and a flat body of paint-brush-material mounted on the brushhead.

3. A device of the class described having ahandle; a brush-head freely swiveled upon the handle; and a flat body of paint-brushmaterial projecting from the brush-head obliquely to the handle.

4. A device of the class described having a handle; a brush-head freely swiveled upon the handle projecting obliquely therefrom; and a flat body of paint-brush-material projecting from'the brush-head obliquely to the handle.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of July, 1917. 

